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What if Walt Disney had produced the Looney Tunes franchise?/Walt Disney Animated Classics/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American animated musical fantasy comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney and David L. Wolper and directed by Mel Stuart, Chuck Jones and Wolfgang Reitherman. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The 24th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, the film tells the story of Charlie Bucket (voiced by Peter Ostrum) as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka's (voiced by Gene Wilder) chocolate factory with four other children from around the world, while his two stay animal friends, a cat named George (vocals by William Hanna) and a mouse named Patty (voiced by Pamelyn Ferdin) secretly accompany him to prevent one of Wonka’s rivals from stealing a special candy known as the Everlasting Gobstopper. Dahl was credited with writing the film's screenplay; however, screenwriter David Seltzer and Disney veteran animators Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng were brought in to re-work Dahl's screenplay against his wishes, making major changes to the ending and adding two new characters, George and Patty, along with a subplot involving them, as well as musical numbers. These changes and other decisions made by Disney led Dahl to disown the film. With a budget of just $3 million, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory received generally positive reviews and earned $4 million by the end of its original run. The film became highly popular in part through repeated television airings and home entertainment sales. In 1972, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, and Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, but both nominations lost to Fiddler on the Roof. The film also introduced the songs "The Candy Man", which went on to become a popular hit when recorded by Sammy Davis Jr., and "Pure Imagination". The film has been regarded as one of Disney's greatest animated classics, notably one of the biggest cult classics in the animation medium, as well as one of the best film adaptations of a Roald Dahl novel. In 2014, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Plot In a small town, Charlie Bucket, a poor paperboy, watches a group of kids visit a candy shop. Walking home from finishing his paper route, he passes Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. A mysterious tinker recites the first lines of William Allingham's poem "The Fairies", and tells Charlie that nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out. Charlie stops a cat named George from eating a talking mouse named Patty and befriends them by offering them a loaf of bread. Charlie rushes home to his widowed mother and bedridden grandfather Grandpa Joe. Later that night, Charlie tells Grandpa Joe about what the tinker said and Grandpa Joe reveals that Wonka locked the factory because other candy makers, including his rival Arthur Slugworth, sent in spies to steal his recipes. Wonka disappeared, but after three years resumed selling candy; the origin of Wonka's labor force is unknown. Meanwhile, George and Patty steal a box of Wonka Bars from the shop. They arrive at Charlie's home with the box of Wonka Bars, but Charlie convinces the duo that stealing is wrong and they should return the box. The next day, after George and Patty had the box returned, Wonka announces that he hid five "Golden Tickets" in Wonka Bars. Finders of the tickets will receive a factory tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Four of the tickets are found by Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous boy; Veruca Salt, a spoiled girl; Violet Beauregarde, a gum-chewing girl; and Mike Teavee, a television-obsessed boy. As each winner is announced on TV, a man whispers to them. Charlie opens two Wonka Bars — one that was given to him for his birthday, and the other that Grandpa Joe bought with his tobacco money — but doesn't find a Golden Ticket in either. The newspapers announce the fifth ticket was found by a millionaire in Paraguay named Alberto Minoleta. George and Patty earn a dollar bill by recycling milk bottles, but lose it in a gutter after fighting over it. Charlie finds the dollar and uses it buy a Scrumdiddlyumptious bar. With the change, he also buys a Wonka Bar for Grandpa Joe. The TV news reveals that Alberto Minoleta has been arrested for forging his ticket; when Charlie opens the Wonka Bar, he finds the fifth Golden Ticket. While rushing home, he is confronted by the same man seen whispering to the other winners, who introduces himself as Slugworth and offers to pay for a sample of Wonka's latest creation, the Everlasting Gobstopper. Charlie returns home with the Golden Ticket and chooses Grandpa Joe, who, in his excitement, manages to rise out of bed for the first time in 20 years, as his chaperone. The next day, after George and Patty rush to the factory with the Golden Ticket that Grandpa Joe forgot, Wonka greets the ticket winners and leads them inside where each signs a contract before the tour. Meanwhile, George and Patty notice Slugworth and his sidekick Brutus (who is also the very same delivery man who was delivering the box the two animals had stolen before) devising a sinister plan for Charlie. After avoiding being caught by Brutus, the duo decide to warn Wonka of Slugworth's plan. The factory includes a candy land with a river of chocolate, edible mushrooms, gummy bears, candy canes, chocolate and more sweets. As the visitors sample these, they see Wonka's workers, small men known as Oompa-Loompas., who sing their song whenever a ticket holder falls into a trap. Augustus falls into the chocolate river and is sucked up a pipe to the Fudge Room. Afterwards, Wonka takes the remaining guests on a surreal boat ride (where Wonka sings and cites the Monorhyme with many words that rhyme with "owing"), eventually leading to the Inventing Room, where everyone receives an Everlasting Gobstopper. Violet becomes a large blueberry after chewing an experimental gum containing a three-course meal, despite Wonka's warnings. The group reaches the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room, where Charlie and Grandpa Joe ignore Wonka's warning and sample the drinks. They float and have a near-fatal encounter with an exhaust fan, but Patty saves them by making them burp down. In the Chocolate Eggs Room, Veruca demands a golden goose for herself before falling into a garbage chute leading to the furnace, with her father falling in trying to rescue her. After a messy cart ride, the rest of the group tests out Wonka's Wonkavision, used to teleport chocolate bars and Mike also teleports himself, becoming only a few inches tall. As the tour ends, Charlie, who is the only visitor left, asks about the fate of the other four kids, and Wonka assures him that that they will be restored to normal, and retreats to his office, without awarding them the promised lifetime supply of chocolate. Patty warns Charlie that Slugworth and Brutus have stolen a Gobstopper from them and are on their way out of the factory. Following a fight in the Wonkavision Room, Charlie stops Slugworth. After this, Charlie and Grandpa Joe confront Wonka on the end of the tour. Wonka furiously informs them that by stealing the Fizzy Lifting Drinks and allowing George and Patty in the factory, they violated the contract Charlie signed, thereby forfeiting their prize, and he dismisses them. Infuriated at this, Grandpa Joe attempts to protest but Wonka angrily demands them all to leave at once. Grandpa Joe suggests to Charlie that he should give Slugworth the Gobstopper in revenge, but Charlie can't bring himself to do it, and returns the candy to Wonka. With this selfless act, Wonka declares Charlie as the winner; he reveals Charlie and Grandpa Joe that "Slugworth" was actually his employee Mr. Wilkinson, and the offer to buy the Gobstopper was a morality test that only Charlie passed. The trio enter the "Great Glass Elevator", a multi-directional glass elevator that flies out of the factory. George and Patty shrink Wilkinson and Brutus for the chase they put them throughout the film and use Fizzy Lifting Drinks to catch up with the others. Soaring over the city, Wonka reveals that his actual prize is the factory; Wonka created the contest to find a worthy heir and Charlie and his family can immediately move in. Wonka then reminds Charlie not to forget about the man who suddenly received everything he ever wanted. Charlie asks, "What ever happened to him?" to which Wonka replies, "He lived happily ever after." Voice cast * Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket * Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka * Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe * William Hanna as George the Cat (uncredited) * Pamelyn Ferdin as Patty the Mouse * Walker Edmiston (speaking) and Bill Lee (singing) as Arthur Slugworth/Mr. Wilkinson * Daws Butler as Brutus * Roy Kinnear as Henry Salt * Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt * Leonard Stone as Sam Beauregarde * Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde * Dodo Denney as Mrs. Teevee * Paris Themmen as Mike Teevee * Ursula Reit as Mrs. Gloop * Michael Bollner as Augustus Gloop * Diana Sowle as Mrs. Bucket * Aubrey Woods as Bill, the Candy Shop owner * David Battley as Mr. Turkentine * Werner Heyking as the Tinker * Peter Stuart as Winkelmann * The Mellomen as the Oompa Loompas * Ed Peck as The FBI Agent (uncredited) * Tim Brooke-Taylor as a Computer Operator (uncredited) * Stephen Dunne as Stanley Kael, TV News anchor (uncredited) * Michael Gahr as a German reporter (uncredited) * Shin Hamano as a Japanese candy salesman (uncredited) * Hans Conried as Alberto Minoleta (uncredited) * Victor Beaumont as a psychologist (uncredited) * Frank Delfino as an Auctioneer (uncredited) * Sebastian Cabot as the Narrator Directing animators Production Development The idea for adapting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory into a film came about when director Mel Stuart's ten-year-old daughter read the book and asked her father to make a film out of it, with "Uncle Dave" (producer David L. Wolper) producing it. Stuart showed the book to Wolper, who happened to be in the midst of talks with fellow film producer Walt Disney to produce the film. Because of the story having many fantasy elements, Disney suggested Wolper and Stuart the project would be more suitable for an animated film, which Stuart and Wolper had accepted because Stuart always wanted to direct an animated film back in the 1960s. After Disney brought the book's film rights from The Quaker Oats Company, it was agreed that the film would be a musical comedy, and that the book's author Roald Dahl himself would write the screenplay. Writing Screenwriter David Seltzer and Disney veteran animators Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng conceived a gimmick exclusively for the film that had Wonka quoting numerous literary sources, such as Arthur O'Shaughnessy's Ode, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Seltzer worked Slugworth (only mentioned as a rival candy maker in the book) into the plot as an actual character (only to be revealed to be Mr. Wilkinson, one of Wonka's agents, at the end of the film), while Jones and Freleng had created the characters George and Patty. Music Casting All six members of Monty Python, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, expressed interest in voicing Willy Wonka, but at the time they were deemed not big enough names for an international audience. Incidentally, three of the members, Cleese, Idle, and Palin, were later seriously considered for the same role in the 2005 live-action remake film. Before Wilder was officially cast for the voice role, producers considered Fred Astaire, Joel Grey, Ron Moody and Jon Pertwee. Spike Milligan was Roald Dahl's original choice to voice Willy Wonka. Peter Sellers even begged Dahl for the role. When Wilder was cast for the role, he accepted it on one condition: "When Wonka make his first entrance, I'd like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees he is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As Wonka walks toward them, his cane sinks into one of the cobblestones he's walking on and stands straight up, by itself; but Wonka keeps on walking, until he realizes that he no longer have his cane. He start to fall forward, and just before hiting the ground, Wonka does a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause." The reason why Wilder wanted this in the film was that "from that time on, no one will know if I'm lying or telling the truth". Jim Backus was considered for the voice role of Sam Beauregarde. Sammy Davis Jr. wanted to voice Bill, the candy store owner, but Walt Disney did not like the idea because he felt that the presence of a big star in the candy store scene would break the reality. Anthony Newley also wanted to play Bill, but Walt also objected to this for the same reason. Originally, George was originally intended to be voiced by Dick Van Dyke, but Walt feel the character would been more funny if he was silent, so he removed his dialogue from the script in favor of a mute performance, much like Dopey in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Gideon the Cat from Pinocchio, Jerry Mouse from Looney Tunes fame, and Dumbo from the film of the same name, and Tootles from Peter Pan. However, George's laugh and yells were provided by William Hanna. Animation Live-action reference Character animation Release and reception Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released on June 30, 1971. It received positive reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert, who compared it to Mary Poppins. Ebert said, "All of this is preface to a simple statement: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is probably Walt Disney's best film since Mary Poppins. It is everything that family movies usually claim to be, but aren't: Delightful, funny, scary, exciting, and, most of all, a genuine work of imagination. is such a surely and wonderfully spun fantasy that it works on all kinds of minds, and it is fascinating because, like all classic fantasy, it is fascinated with itself." By the mid-1980s, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had experienced a spike in popularity thanks in large part to repeated television broadcasts and home video sales. Following a 25th anniversary theatrical re-release in 1996, it was released on DVD the next year, allowing it to reach a new generation of viewers. The film was released as a remastered special edition on DVD and VHS in 2001 to commemorate the film's 30th anniversary. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly ranked it 25th in the "Top 50 Cult Movies" of all time. As of 2017, the film holds a 90% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 42 reviews. The site's critical consensus states: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is strange yet comforting, full of narrative detours that don't always work but express the film's uniqueness". Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was ranked No. 74 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments for the "scary tunnel" scene. Dahl's reaction Dahl disowned the film, the script of which was partially rewritten by David Seltzer, Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng after Dahl failed to meet deadlines. Dahl said he was "disappointed" because "he thought it placed too much focus on two unneeded original characters the cat and Patty the mouse and not enough on Charlie at all", as well as the casting of Gene Wilder instead of Spike Milligan for the voice role of Willy Wonka. Dahl was also "infuriated" by the deviations in the plot Seltzer, Jones and Freleng devised in his draft of the screenplay, including the conversion of Slugworth, a minor character in the book, into a spy (so that the movie could have a villain) and the "fizzy lifting drinks" scene along with music other than the original Oompa Loompa compositions (including "Pure Imagination" and "The Candy Man"), and the ending dialogue for the movie. In 1996, Dahl's second wife Felicity commented on her husband's objections towards the film saying "they always want to change a book's storyline. What makes Hollywood think children want the endings changed for a film, when they accept it in a book?". Soundtrack Songs * "The Candy Man" – Bill, the Candy Shop owner * "Cheer Up Charlie" – Mrs. Bucket * "It's Your Chance" - Arthur Slugworth/Mr. Wilkinson * "I've Got a Golden Ticket" – Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe and Patty * "Pure Imagination" – Willy Wonka * "Oompa Loompa (Augustus)" – The Oompa Loompas * "The Wondrous Boat Ride"/"The Rowing Song" – Willy Wonka * "Oompa Loompa (Violet)" – The Oompa Loompas * "I Want It Now!" – Veruca Salt * "Oompa Loompa (Veruca)" – The Oompa Loompas * "Oompa Loompa (Mike)" – The Oompa Loompas * "Pure Imagination (reprise)" - Chorus Deleted songs Some of them were written by the songwriter duo Richard and Robert Sherman, until Walt Disney had offered to them writing songs for both The Aristocats and Charlotte's Web instead. However, most of these songs would be reused to the 2013 stage musical play based on the book. The only song written by the Sherman Brothers which was used in the final film was Slugworth's song "It's Your Chance". * "Almost Nearly Perfect" - Charlie Bucket * "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" - Patty * "The Amazing Tale of Willy Wonka" - Grandpa Joe * "If Your Father Were Here" (replaced with "Cheer Up Charlie") - Mrs. Bucket * "When Veruca Says" (replaced with "I Want It Now!") - Veruca Salt * "It's Wonkavision Time" - Willy Wonka Audio CD track listing Media and merchandise Live-action remake Stage version References in other Disney films Theme parks Costumed versions of Charlie, Willy Wonka, Grandpa Joe, George and Patty make regular appearances at the Disney theme parks and resorts. More famously, a dark ride of the same name, opening at Disneyland on June 4, 1999, and at Walt Disney World on December 6, 2012, both as part of Fantasyland and Magic Kingdom, respectively, is loosely based on the film. Trivia * This is the first Disney film with a "Produced by" credit (before that, most Disney films at the time had a "Co-Producers" credit) and the first of the Walt Disney Animated Classics to open with "Walt Disney Productions Presents". This would continue up until Looney Tunes Presents: Goofy's Fantastic Island (1983). * The song that Wonka sings on the boat ride (There's no earthly way of knowing...) are the only song lyrics taken from Roald Dahl's book. All other songs were written specifically for the film. * In some scenes, George and Patty are seen eating some candies, including chocolate. In real life, chocolate is considered toxic to dogs and cats. * Gene Wilder, who voiced Willy Wonka, said that he would only make the film under one condition: He wanted Wonka to do a somersault in the scene when he first meets the children. When Walt Disney asked why, the actor said that having Willy Wonka started limping and end up somersaulting would set the tone for that character. He wanted to portray him as someone whose actions are completely unpredictable. His request was granted and, in order to do it possible for a animated film, Wilder was also the live-action reference model actor for Wonka, along with the children who played Charlie and the other ticket holders. * When the film was released, food conglomerate The Quaker Oats Company, which Disney had brought the rights to the original novel, began marketing chocolate bars from its Chicago-based Willy Wonka Candy Company subsidiary, which were named "Wonka Bars", after the fictional candy band, but unfortunately, an error in the chocolate formula caused the bars to met too easily, even while they are on the shelf, so they were taken to market. Nestle now owns the Willy Wonka Candy Company. * Peter Ostrum, the actor who voiced Charlie Bucket, made NO OTHER films. He instead became a veterinarian. Julie Dawn Cole (who voiced Veruca Salt) and Pamelyn Ferdin (who voiced Patty) were the only ones from the child actors who were still acting in movies.